Читать книгу A Different Kind of Summer - Caron Todd - Страница 2

David had often seen the woman and child around the museum.

They came once a month, the boy eager, the mother patient, the two of them a perfect example of why he did this work. And now he’d scared them off. She’d asked the question, hadn’t she? How was he supposed to know she didn’t want an answer?

He didn’t have any reason to feel guilty. “Ma’am?” That sounded all wrong. Ma’am didn’t suit her.

Their rush out the door slowed, then stopped. She directed the boy to a cutaway view of hibernating insects and rodents before rejoining him.

“If you were going to apologise, it isn’t necessary. You were trying to do your job. My son will be fine.”

“I wasn’t going to apologise.”

That ticked her off. “What did you want, then?”

Her phone number, for one thing. The thought came out of nowhere. He had no business wanting her phone number. “The gift shop has a very good book about the mammoth, if you’re interested.”

“Does it? Thank you.”

A dismissive smile and they were on their way. The boy was speaking in an anxious tone, the mother trying to soothe. She was good at conveying a mother’s certainty. What she didn’t seem to realise was that it wasn’t helping.